Brazil's most costly soccer stadium may not host Olympic games

BRASILIA Oct 27 (Reuters) - In the midst of Brazil's
deepening economic crisis, its cash-strapped capital may not
have the money to fulfill a promise to host Olympic soccer
games next year, leaving unused the most expensive stadium built
for the 2014 World Cup.

The Rio 2016 organizing committee has given Brasilia until
mid-November to sign a contract or be stripped of the seven
games set to be held there next year, a spokesperson said.

Tickets for matches in Brasilia have already been on sale
for months and it remains unclear how fans, many of whom may
have bought flights and booked hotels, would be reimbursed.

Soccer games for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year
are set to be played in six cities across the country to make
use of venues built for the World Cup.

In Brasilia officials are scrambling to draw up a management
plan for the games but say the debts inherited from the previous
leftist governor have forced them to take tough decisions and
commitment to the Olympics is uncertain.

The doubts about Brasilia's ability to hold the matches are
the latest reminder of how popular euphoria about the World Cup
and the Rio Olympics has soured as Brazil has plunged into
recession and financial straits.

"We are doing our homework now to see if we can sign this in
time, but it's not certain," Brasilia's sports secretary, Leila
Barros, told Reuters.

Under the terms of the Rio 2016 contract, the city bears the
cost of hosting the matches but the profits go to the organizing
committee. In theory the city is meant to recoup the costs
through the benefit to the local economy, with hotels and
restaurants enjoying an increase in business.
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